ellen allien
“pump”
G12 | BPITCH CONTROL | BPC209
€7.39
Tracklisting:
1:
unknown2:
unknown
A: PUMP Many will think it's about time: Ellen Allien, the flower child of Berlin indie-techno, has returned to the club and is already paving the way for her album due out later this year. But rather than worrying about introductions,teasers or warm-ups, “Pump” takes a deep drag from the smoke machine and drives headlong into the peak time. Limbs flying in epileptic bursts, a dirty funk and layers so dense that the strobe actually feels far too slow. So here it is again, the sparkle of the never-ending night. Once the needle drops, this beast scrapes and tears across the floorboards, twitching and snapping in all directions until the dance floor has sunk five centimetres deeper. The synths chime sweetly up above, the bassline scratches away mercilessly down below, and the psychotically swirling voice provides such a resounding impulse that, as you try to articulate the visceral euphoria, a glistening beam of light escapes your lips. “Because I love you,” sings Ellen, but the cut-up vocal sounds so pitched down and masculine that you could be forgiven for thinking it's Robert Owen's voice coming through the vocoder. Somehow Detroit, somehow Berlin, but also somehow far away from everything familiar. This is certainly how it feels when you surrender yourself entirely to the insanity. But despite the constant scattering of sounds, the ruthlessly crisp snare always keeps a handle on proceedings. The individual elements are held together by a floating elegance, that unmistakable Ellen Allien signature which, even on a Monday, brings to mind the ballet choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky. Winding down in style, the collective dancefloor experience is transcended once again. Don't dance by yourself. Not to this track… B: FEEL LIKE The solid sound of the A side is matched with a smoothness on the flip like an affectionate cat brushing against your legs. With its jazzy bassline, “Feel Like” goes hopping around the after party, spreading the kind of easy-going feeling you could surely only find on the banks of the Spree. The sounds gently advance and fill the space until - fully aware of their fragile structure - they scurry up the walls to get one more taste of insanity and bliss en route to the sun. The synth pushes on, the claps ring out and rave wants to be unleashed. But it doesn't have to be when everything just frolics along so effortlessly. Chicago sends its greetings. Then finally, you think, the delicate, fairylike voice of Mme. Allien: “If you feel like…
Tags: Minimal / Tech House | Release: Mar 1st 2010